Google Maps Floor Plans - It's all about getting from Point A to Point B

You might already have read about Google Floor Plans. If you haven't, watch this short video to learn more. The news are all over the blogosphere. Google Floor Plans is now available on desktops. For instance you can plan your visit to the Metropolitan Museum of Modern Art in advance from your desktop computer. There are already more than 10,000 locations on Google Maps, just zoom in for the floor plan will show up - here is the list of major locationsto date. On Android devices, floor plans have been available since last year and you can even choose between floor levels. It’s awesome - of course - we architects love floor plans!

The images below show the second floor (2) and mezzanine (1M) of The Metropolitan Museum of Art as seen on my Nexus 7 device. Take notice of the vertical strip on the lower right hand side, showing the level of the floor plan.

Beyond the beauty of floor plans there is another aspect to it. Google floor plans allows anyone to go from point A to point B. Because of this, customers can tour a business virtually and easily find their way inside locations using their mobile device. Smartphones have become extensions of us, they allow us to virtually fly over continents, stroll around cities, and tour businesses. They are also personal GPS that guide us to any location on the planet. We have all become explorers.